Justice

[Chickdom] Parenting From The Box

Just three weeks into our marriage, I called my new husband, Mr. Steam Jeans, to ask a very simple question, "Honey, do you want to do 'Wife Swap?'" His immediate response to this question was a significant pause—the kind of pause a bride may expect if she'd asked, "Do these jeans make my butt look big?"

Jackson 7th Most Improved in Morgan Quitno

Jackson was among the most improved cities in the new edition of the Morgan Quitno Annual Safest/Most Dangerous City ratings. Jackson, which ranked 42nd most dangerous overall, was the 7th most improved city, with a score 36.2 points higher than the previous year. If you count the metropolitan area, Jackson ranks 98th in most dangerous metropolitan areas. The survey included 371 cities.

[Parks] Unity, Mississippi Style

In the mall, Columbia, Mo.: My girlfriend and I giggled over Dippin' Dots ice cream. We held hands. We looked at the table next to us, where a young girl and guy were holding hands, too. The guy stood up, and his girlfriend jerked on his baggy jean shorts a little. She pulled too hard, though, and his genitals flopped out.

Crime Summit Useful?

JSU criminology professor Jimmy Bell says the city's upcoming crime summit, planned for Aug. 31 will be different from crime summits hosted in other cities, while the ACLU is concerned that the summit will not tackle crime issues in a substantive way.

How To Be Pro-Life

It was peaceful in Fondren this week, the "no public restrooms" signs gone from store windows, locals lunching outside Basil's without worrying about their children's growth being stunted by horrifying political photos.

Deepest Midnight: Cedric Willis and The Failure of Mississippi Justice

Cedric Willis, then 19, stirred in his bed and looked up at his grandmother Sally. She had the smooth, dark skin of a woman 20 years younger, and her black hair, cropped short, rested atop her head like a crown. Bright beams of morning sunshine illuminated her through the blinds.

JPD Under Fire In Abortion Clash

Jackson police stood with full riot gear in Smith Park downtown on July 15, ready to take on protesters in the country's abortion battle. Both sides were poised for battle in the city with Mississippi's only remaining abortion clinic, months after the Legislature barely beat back an attempt to ban all abortions in the state of Mississippi.

One Day In a Cause

Today has been an upsetting, disturbing, thought-provoking day. Six weeks ago, I discovered the Unitarian Universalists. I've never been a religious person; I'm convinced that organized religion is not my thing. That makes me something of a social outcast here in the "buckle" of the Bible Belt. Not that it bothers me personally, but it's been isolating from time to time. Discovering the UUs, as they refer to themselves, has been invigorating. But this story isn't about religion.

[Greggs] Missing The Window

I first heard the phrase "missing the window" in my youth. It quite possibly was gleaned from one summer's obsession with the movie "Space Camp." You know the one, right? Kids go to Space Camp, kids accidentally get launched into space, Kate Capshaw was the "real" astronaut on the flight? Yes, it was extremely reality-based. I just recently discovered the cute valley girl in the film is Kelly Preston—John Travolta's Scientologist wife. For some reason, the very fact that she didn't know she would later marry "Danny Zuko" and completely lose her mind is very amusing to me. I often point to the screen and snicker at her references to space aliens in the movie—she has obviously been groomed since the early '80s for this dubious transformation into Scientologist alien queen.

Barbour Supports Civil Rights Museum

[The following letter is verbatim from Gov. Barbour to the Civil Rights Museum Federation Committee at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History]

Fighting Crime: What's The Plan?

Also: Darren Schwindaman's editorial cartoon

Been Profiled?

In these strange times, chances are good that you'll be stopped at a JPD roadblock set on enforcing Mayor Frank Melton's state of emergency, especially if you frequent West Jackson. When you see those blue lights and the police dogs snarling on their leashes, what should you do? More to the point, what can the police do to you?

Better Late Than Never

A large group gathered in the gymnasium of Higgins Middle School in McComb, Miss. for a ceremony, Thursday, June 22. This graduation was different. There was no buzzing and flittering about. There were very few teenagers dressed in Sunday best. College students eager to start their new lives weren't standing in line, either. Instead, 10 60-somethings dressed in green caps and gowns with gold trim were anxious to receive honorary diplomas.

[Stiggers] The Pied Pipers of Crime Control

Jethro "Drum Stick" Johnson and Martin "Blue Note" Smith of the Ghetto Science Team Crime Prevention Association propose a new crime prevention program.

Crime High, Perception Bleak

Recent Jackson Police Department statistics reveal that major crime this year remains stubbornly high compared to last year's figures. Though the May 8-14 ComStat Overview Report reveals that crime is tracking 2 percent lower than the last ComStat figures—which the JFP obtained from an anonymous source and published several weeks ago—it still registers a 14.1 increase in crime over last year's numbers.

Ellington